Ophthalmic device



Dec. 19, 1950 c. A. BARATELLI 2,534,655

OPHTHALMIC DEVICE Fild Feb. 14, 1947 $1M @gaw M Q? Patented Dec. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OPHTHALMIC DEVICE Application February 14, 1947, Serial No. 728,393

2,534,655 OFFICE 2 Claims.

1 This invention relates to ophthalmic devices such as sunglasses, goggles and the like, and more particularly has reference to a device of the character which makes use of a one-piece lens member which extends across the forehead and fully 2 which are curved substantially alike but which are more sharply curved than the central section, and means comprising a frame engaging the lens member and a bar fixed to and bracing the frame for mountin and substantially maintaining the covers both eyes f the wearer h n in us 5 lens member in the desired cylindrical shape and Objects of the invention are to provide a novel for effecting the positioning of the lens member sunglass, goggle or the like which is of pleasing when in use to have its concave surface adjacent appearance, lightweight construction, and of an the face and its elements nearly vertical, the inexpensive nature, and which combines these frame being formed of a relatively hi li features in a design adapted to fit the wearer weight channel element shaped to substantially with a maximum of comfort and to materially correspond to the generally cylindrical shape of prevent objectionable reflection of light coming the lens member, and eing engaged with and eX- from behind the wearer and incident on the lens tending ross the upper end of the lens member member of the device as well as to filter or modify l5 and also engaged at the p s de f t ens light incident on the side of the face and to member for a distance sufficient to substantially greatly reduce the disturbing effects thereof, and retain the lens member in the desired cylindrical to embody these features and design in an ophshape substantially throughout its entirety, and thalmic device employing a one-piece lens memtemple means secured to the frame on opposite ber adapted to extend across the forehead and sides thereof. partially around the sides of the face of a wearer Other objects of the invention will i part be and having an extremely wide binocular field of Obvious and l in P appear r f e vision. The invention accordingly comprises the article Other objects of the invention are to provide possessing the features of construction, combinaan ophthalmic device having a lens member tion of elements and arrangement of parts which adapted to extend across the forehead and parare exemplified in the following detailed distially around the sides of the face which is mountclosure, and the scope of the application of which ed and substantially maintained in a generally will be indicated in the claims. cylindrical shape to have a flatly curved central For a fuller understanding of the nature and section joined at opposite ends by side sections objects of the invention, reference should be had which are curved substantially alike but which to the following detailed description taken in are more sharply curved than the central secconnection with the accompanying drawings tion, as well as to provide in an ophthalmic dewherein: vice of such character a lens member having the Figure 1 is a front elevation of an ophthalmic generally cylindrical shape described which is device of the invention; substantially without power at least throughout Fig. 2 is a plan view taken from the top of the the central section; and also to provide frame ophthalmic device of Fig. 1; means for mounting such lens member. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the ophthalmic Further objects of the invention reside in the device of Fig. l; provision of a sunglass, goggle or the like making Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper edge of the use of a lens member formed of a transparent, lens member and diagrammatically illustrates the deformable plastic material shaped to provide ingeneral cylindrical curvature of the lens member; dividual eye portions integrally joined to a bridge and portion and having a nose pad mounted in a Fig. 5 is a broken away section through an emnose-engaging recess formed alon the lower 5 bodiment of the lens member and discloses its edge of the lens member, together with novel construction. mounting means comprising a frame formed of The objectionable back reflection of light incia relatively lightweight channel element engagdent on a one-piece lens member of the character ing the edge of the lens member and extending described may be lessened if the lens member is thereacross and partially around the sides theremounted in front of the eyes of a wearer so that of and which is braced or stiffened by a bar fixed it is held to conform in a very general manner to the frame on the face side thereof. with the contour of the forehead whereby the Still further objects of the invention are to lens member has a gentle uniformly concave provide an ophthalmic device having, in combinacurvature on the side thereof facing the wearer. tion, a one-piece lens member adapted to extend Such practice permits interception of some of the across the forehead and partially around the sides light incident on the side of the face and enterof the face whereby the wearer may look thereing the space between the face and the inner t u h with both eyes simultaneously, and which surface of the lens member and at least to a is formed of a transpar n f le p i slight extent reduces the objectionable effects materiel Substantially maintained in generally 0 caused by this side light. The present invention cylindrical shape to have a flatly curved central section joined at opposite ends by side sections provides a sunglass or goggle design whereby back reflection is materially reduced and the objec- 3 tionable effects produced by entering side light are substantially overcome.

In carrying this concept into effect, use is made of a design employing a one-piece lens member ID having a bridge portion and opposite eye portions integral therewith, the same being mounted in frame means comprising a frame member II which is braced or stiffened by bar or brace means I! located on the inner side of the frame member ll. Frame II is a relatively lightweight channel element which extends across the lens member l and partially around the sides thereof and within which the upper and side edges of the lens member are engaged. As shown in the drawings, the ends H of the bar [2 are upset and suitably formed to provide a seat whereby temple i5 may be hinged thereto by any conventional fastening means. With respect to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, lens l0 below its bridge portion is provided with a nose-engaging recess adapted to receive a nose pad IS. The latter may be formed of any conventional plastic material suitable for this purpose and is mounted within the nose-engaging recess. Nose pad I6 is suitably constructed to engage and grip the edge of the lens member l0 and is retained in position by having a frictional or pressure fit therewith or by being cemented or bonded to the lens member, or by any combination of these practices for securing it in position.

Lens member I0 is formed of a suitable transparent, deformable plastic material and may comprise a single sheet or a lamination of several sheets of such material. A preferred practice, shown in Fig. 5, makes use of a lamination formed of a central sheet I! of transparent plastic which is sandwiched between outer protecting plastic sheets l8 and I9. In this embodiment, the sheet H has the property of modifying incident light, as by a filtering action or by polarizing the same.

Sheet H is preferably formed of any transparent, hydrophilic, linear polymeric plastic material which may be treated to effect a desired orientation of its molecules. An example of a preferred material of this character is polyvinyl alcohol. As examples of other such materials mention may be made of partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetals and polyvinyl alcohol esters, amylose, regenerated cellulose, and suitably prepared nylon-type plastics. When the just-named materials are in molecularly oriented condition and are stained or dyed with a dichroic material, they become light polarizing.

Sheets I8 and i9 are preferably formed of any hydrophobic or nonhydrophilic plastic material, and examples thereof comprise cellulosic plastics such as cellulose nitrate or cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate and cellulose propionate, or cellulose mixed esters such as cellulose acetate butyrate, or a vinyl compound such as the vinyl acetate-vinyl chloride copolymers, or a condensation type superpolymer such as a polyamide or nylontype plastic. It is possible to incorporate a dye, as by casting, in the cellulosic plastics just named, and in such event the same may be employed as the light-modifying sheet of the lamination. Obviously, any of the materials just described, if of sufficient thickness, may be used in place of the three-layered lamination described in connection with Fig. 5.

For the sake of illustration, the invention is disclosed in connection with a lens member l0 having the ability to polarize light, the light-polarizing sheet of the lens member being arranged so that the transmission axis thereof is substantially vertical as indicated by the arrow 20 in Fig. 1. For this purpose, any of the heretofore mentioned hydrophilic, linear polymeric plastics may be employed. A preferred example of such a material is disclosed in the patent to Edwin H. Land, No. 2,237,567, for Light Polarizer and Process of Forming the Same. Another suitable polarizing material for this purpose is disclosed in the patent to Edwin H. Land and Howard G. Rogers, No. 2,173,304, for Light Polarizer. Other types of polarizers may be utilized with the invention, for as previously indicated, the scope of the invention is comprehensive of any type of sheet polarizing material.

Lens member I0 may also be constructed to provide modifying effects upon light besides the polarization thereof such, for example, as effecting the absorption of light which is incident on the lens member and which falls within a predetermined portion or portions of the spectrum, including the ultraviolet and the infrared portions thereof. Effects of this character may be obtained by appropriate treatment of the light-modifying sheet used with lens member i 0 and includes the use of a dye or combination of dyes incorporated in the sheet material.

With particular reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, it may be observed that the lens member I0 is mounted and maintained in a generally cylindrical shape so that the elements thereof are positioned nearly vertical and the concave surface of the lens member is positioned adjacent to the face of the wearer when the ophthalmic device is being worn. In imparting 'such cylindrical shape, the lens member I0 is made up of at least three sections comprising a central section 2| having a relatively flat curvature joined by end sections 22 having similar curvature with respect to each other but more sharply curved than the central section.

As shown in Fig. 4, the central section is relatively long and extends well across the forehead and has a curve which generally conforms to the forehead, whereas the end sections are relatively short and are sharply curved so as to fit around the sides of the face adjacent the eyes. With such an arrangement, the overall length of the lens is suflicient so that its ends extend to posit ons on the sides of the face somewhat in back of the eyes. It is by this expedient of modeling a generally cylindrical lens to closely fit the front as well as the side contour of the face that the sunglass or goggle of this invention overcomes effects of back reflection and side light. Central section 2| may have a uniform curvature throughout or it may have variations in curvature and similarly end sections 22 may have uniform curvature throughout or they may have variations in curvature.

It is desirable to provide ophthalmic devices of the character described with a lens member which is substantially without or substantially lacks any lens power. In the present invention this is especially true with respect to the central section 2i of the lens member In which is the main portion of the lens in throu h which a person looks. It is to be noted that a person normally perceives objects to the side of his eyes and does not look at them without turning his head, so that the end sections 22 of the lens member ID represent portions of the lens through which objects are normally only perceived whereas the central portion affords the visual area.

It therefore becomes possible to employ a lens power in the side sections 22 which would be extends across the top thereof.

objectionable in the central section of the lens element It. Roughly speaking, the central section of the lens member ID has a length of about 1% times the interocular employed for the sunglass or goggle and within its area the power of the lens is kept within a maximum of about of a diopter, which amount of power, as will be well understood by the art, is negligible. In portions of the central section through which the user cannot look or through which he does not normall look, a lens power exceedin the maximum just noted may occur. The normall used visual area in a vertical direction will extend about 15 millimeters above and below the interocular points.

Lens member ill is mounted and maintained in the generally cylindrical shape described by means of the frame ll. Frame H, as previously mentioned, is formed of a lightweight channel member. or the like, or suitable alloys conventionall employed with ophthalmic devices may be used for this purpose. Plastic materials may also be employed for the frame II. The length of the frame H is sufficient to extend across the upper edge of lens member in and partially around the sides thereof. Frame II slopes downwardly from its center towards its ends and engages the outer marginal edge of the lens member. En-

gagement with the edge of the lens member along the sides thereof is for an extent or distance suflicient to substantially retain the lens member in the desired generally cylindrical shape substantially throughout its entirety. Lens member In is merely inserted within the channel member forming the frame I I and is retained therein by a friction or pressure fit or may be riveted or cemented therein.

Since the frame member H is of relatively light gauge material, it is desirable to brace the same, and stiffening thereof is eifected through means of the heretofore-mentioned bar l2 which is positioned on the face side of the frame and Bar l2 has its ends fixed to the frame member and its central portion free of the frame member as it is clearly indicated in Fig. 2. Bar l2 may be formed of any of the metals or alloys heretofore noted or it may be of plastic material. Soldering, welding, riveting or cementing or like practices may be employed in fixing bar I! to frame H. The cross section of bar i2 may be of any shape and preferably the bar is solid although it may be in tubular form. An enlarged central section is formed on the bar H by the member 23 which forms a rest against the brow when the ophthalmic device is worn and which partially extends above the frame as shown in Fig. 1. Member 23 may be of plastic material and the bar I! may be inserted therein or extended therethrough Besides forming a seat against the forehead, bar i2 and the brow rest 23 operate to assist in positioning the lens element and its nose pad l6 upon the face with the elements of the lens member nearly vertical.

A further function of the bar I2 is to provide means for allowing temples I to be secured to the device. As it has been pointed out, the ends of the bar B2 are upset whereby temples i5 may be hinged thereto.

It is important to observe that frame H, in plan, has a curvature which is substantially similar to the cylindrical shape of the lens member ill, as may be observed with respect to Figs. 2 and 4. Thus, the frame has a central sec- Any metal, for example, gold or silver,

tion of a relativel flat curvature and end sections of similar curvature with respect to each other but of sharper curvature than the central section. The stiffening action of the bar I! allows this curvature to be maintained in the frame ll.

Lens member ID may be cut from plastic material which is normally flat and may be inserted within the channel forming the frame II. When such practice is followed, by reason of the construction of the frame and its stiffening means H, the lens member will be retained in the desired cylindrical shape heretofore described. Alternatively, the lens member It may be preformed into at least the approximately desired cylindrical shape. This alternate practice facilitates assembh' of the frame and lens. However, regardless of which practice is employed, it will be apparent that the frame H and the stiffening bar i2 will retain the lens member in the desired cylindrical shape by reason of the frame having a similar shape and a length sufficient to reinforce the lens member along the sides thereof.

The sunglass or goggle of the invention has been illustrated as provided with paddle temples having metal butts and plastic ends. In lieu of such a construction, any other types of temples may be employed such as all-metal temples or all-plastic temples. or the like.

The formation of a lens of a generally cylindrical shape without lens power is made possible by the use of material of an extremely thin nature such as is afforded by the plastic materia s described herein. For example, lenses excellently suited for the practice of the invention have been provided through the use of a lamination of the type described in connection with Fig. 5 and having an overall thickness from outer surface to outer surface of around 0.035 inch. That such is the case may be illustrated with respect to the well-known formula applicable for calculating the focal length or lens power of a lens with concentric surfaces. This formula is as follows:

t=thickness of the lens material n=index of refraction of the lens material R=radius of curvature of the outer surface of the lens; and

f=focal length The reciprocal of the focal length or when t and R are in millimeters is expressed in diopters, as will be well understood by the art.

The thickness t may be neglected in the expression (Rt) above, when t is extremely small with respect to R, as is the case of the plastic materials heretofore described, It will therefore appear that the power in diopters is proportional to the thickness and the square of the curvature where the curvature is equal to the reciprocal of the radius or In working with the just-noted formula. it is to be noted that the plastic materials mentioned herein have an index of refraction of about 1.5. By reason of the foregoing, it follows that a suitable curvature for a cylindrical design providing a close fit to the front and sides of the face and wherein objectionable lens powers are avoided may be obtained within the maximum limit of about 1*; diopter, at least for the central section of the lens member It).

With a lens design of the character set forth, it is to be noted that the lens member has an extremely wide field of vision and that this field is substantially unobstructed except for some interference from the nose pad l6] However, such interference is small as evidenced by the fact that the sunglass or goggle of the invention has an unobstructed binocular field of vision of fifty degrees, which is considered by the art as a field of very large magnitude. At the same time, the monocular field of the sunglass or goggle is substantially unlimited and in this respect is comparable with the fie4d of monocular vision of the eyes.

The terms cylinder" and cylindrical as used herein are intended to imply a surface traced by a straight line, called an element, moving parallel to a fixed straight line, and in using the terms a generally cylindrical shape, reference is made to a surface having characteristics generally similar to a cylinder. Also in speaking of a cylindrical surface with elements nearly vertical, the use of the term vertical" is employed in an ophthalmic sense and is intended to imply that the elements of the cylinder are nearly perpendicular to the interocular line..

Since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ophthalmic device having a lens member of deformable, transparent plastic material which is adapted to extend across both eyes of a wearer of the device and which has its lower edge provided with a nasal recess located centrally of its ends while its upper edge is substantially unbroken and is of convex shape, said lens member being mounted and maintained in a condition of curvature which conforms to the general contour of the face whereby the inner surface of said lens member adapted to be located adjacent the face is concavedly curved and the outer surface of the lens member is convexedly curved, in combination, means for mounting and substantially maintaining said lens member in a desired curvature and also for effecting the positioning of the lens member on the face of a wearer, said means comprising a frame formed of a relatively thin, lightweight metal channel member substantially continuously engaged for its full length with the opposite faces of said lens member and a bar fixed to and stiffening said channel member forming said frame and maintaining said channel substantially rigid, said channel member extending across the upper edge of said lens member and partly around the side edges of the lens member and having a central section which in plan is concavedly curved on the inner surface thereof in a relatively fiat curve, the central section of said channel member being joined at opposite ends by side sections which are of similar curvature with respect to each other and which in plan are also concavedly curved on the inner surfaces thereof but in sharper curvature than said central section, said channel member also curving downwardly from its center toward its ends and being of a length to reinforce the lens member along the sides thereof whereby to retain it in its curved condition, said her being located on the side of the frame adapted to be positioned nearest the face of the wearer and being secured near its ends to said frame whereby to substantially maintain the frame in said curvatures, said bar having a central portion spaced from said frame and bearing against the forehead when said ophthalmic device is being worn to assist in positioning the lens member and its nasal recess in viewing position upon the face of the wearer with the elements of the lens member nearly vertical, and temple means hinged to each end of said bar.

2. In a sunglass, goggle and the like, having a lens member which is adapted to extend across the forehead and partially around the sides of the face and which is formed of a transparent, deformable plastic material adapted to be substantially maintained in generally cylindrical shape to have a flatly curved central section joined at opposite ends by side sections which are curved substantially alike but which are more sharply curved than the central section, in combination, means for mounting and substantially maintaining said lens member in said cylindrical shape and also for assisting in the positioning of the lens member on the face of a wearer, said lens member when in use having its concave surface adjacent the face and its elements nearly vertical, said means comprising a frame formed of a relatively thin, lightweight metal channel member substantially continuously engaged for its full length with the opposite faces of said lens member and a bar fixed to and bracing the channel member forming said frame and maintaining said channel member substantially rigid, said channel member extending across the upper edge of said lens member and partly around the side edges of said lens member and being shaped to have in plan an outline in a horizontal plane which is curved to substantially correspond to the cylindrical shape desired for said lens member, said bar being located on the side of said frame adapted to be positioned next to the face of the wearer and having a central portion spaced from said frame and bearing against the forehead wl en said sunglass, goggle andthe like is being worn whereby to assist in placement of said sunglass, goggle and the like in proper viewing position upon the face of the wearer, said bar also having its ends enlarged and providing a connection for a hinge member, and a pair of temple members each having a hinge member at one end thereof pivotally secured to an enlarged end portion of said bar.

CHARLES A. BARA'I'ELLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,166,493 Thompson Jan. 4, 1916 1,868,362 Nowak July 19, 1932 2,337,617 Miller, Jr. Dec. 28, 1943 2,393,837 Swanson Jan. 29, 1946 2,397,243 Cooper, Jr Mar. 26, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 148,616 Germany Feb. 26, 1904 

